bentley



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. M. BENTLEY.

ELEGTRIU RAILWAY. V

' Patented Dec. 23, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2, E. M. BENTLEY. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 443,084. Patented Dec. 23, 1890.

FIGJII.

UNITED. STATES EDVARD Ml BENTLEY, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,084, dated December 23, 1890.

Application filed April 9, 1887. Serial No. 234,254. (No model.)

To ctZZ 1071,0171, it may concern: r Be it known that I, EDWARD M. BENTLEY,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a plan of the slotted conduit and a connection-box. Fig. II is a transverse section of the connection-box on the lines2 2, Fig. I. Fig. 111 is a longitudinal section of a connection-box; and Fig. 1V is a transverse section of the conduit and conductor on lines 4 4, Fig. I.

My invention relates to means of supplying electricity to a vehicle traveling along a railway.

It comprises an insulated main supply-conductor having exposed contacts at intervals, a shallow sectional metallic channel or 0011- duit open at the surface of the street, and a contact-conductor traveling; along the channel in electrical connection both with the exposed contacts and the conduit, all as hereinafter described and claimed. The conduit is firmly laid in a bed of insulating material, such as concrete or asphalt, and is divided into short independent insulated sections, thus constituting a bare sectional surface conductor which as a whole is normally out of circuit with the supply conductor, although the sections immediately contiguous to the traveling car are successively brought into electrical connection therewith by means of a mechanical circuit-controller attached to the car. In the specific construction shown this controller is present in the contact-conductor G, which fulfills both the function of temporarily connecting the bare conductorsections with the supply'conductor and that of keeping the propelling-motor in circuit with the source of supply; but I make use of the generic term because I am aware that this construction may be subject to numerous modifications which will still retain the advantages of my broad invention. The sectional character of the conduit will prevent the current from escaping to the return-coin ductor or going beyond the one or two sections which are in contact. The return-circuit may be through the wheel to the vehicle and the rails of the railway, or a second dc vipe, like that to be described, may be used.

In the drawings, A represents the continuous supply-conductor incased underground in an iron tube B, but completely insulated therefrom. Parallel to the conductor and in close proximity thereto is a small conduit or channel C, open at the surface of the street and divided into sections, as shown in Figs. I and III, thereby constituting a bare surface conductor permanently fixed in position along the path of travel of the contact device and consisting of independent sections insulated from one another. An enlarged connectionbox D is placed every twenty feet or so along the line, and both the tube B and the conduit C enter each box. The tube 13 is insulated from the box, as shown in Fi I, so that the complete insulation of the successive sections of the conduit 0 will be preserved. The supply-conductor has exposed contacts at intervals, which are provided asfollows: lVithin the connection-box the conductor islaid bare, and there is connected to it an arm E, extending transversely to it and carrying a grooved pulley F, which comes immediately under the conduit 0. A cover is provided for the connection-box, and the arms E are so connected to the supply-conductor as to be readily replaceable when occasion requires. The conduit 0 within the connection-box is bottomless, and the arm E, which is adapted to yield vertically, is held up by a springpressure, so that a rod or rope G in passing through the conduit would ride upon the upper side of the wheel F. This rope G forms a contact device, being somewhat longer than the distance between any two connectionboxes, so that as it moves along it will be in contact with at least one of the exposed contacts. This rope G is connected at each end to a traveler, which is connected in turn to a shank L, extending from a vehicle above the conduit. The shank L is free to move laterally with respect to the vehicle, being connected to a head M, which slides upon transverse guides N and 0, attached to a fixed part of the vehicle.

Fig. IV shows the manner in which the ICO conduit C and the tube 13 are laid in a bed of asphalt P, a hook R being screwed to conduit C and surrounding the tube 13, though insulated from it by a bushing S. A wire T connects thehead M with a motor upon the car. It will thus be seen that as the ear advances it will constantly be in electrical connection with the conductor A by means of the armsE and the pulleys F, and as the one or two sections of the conduit which are at the time also in contact with the conductor A are insulated by the concrete or asphalt bed I there will be no escape of the current.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric railway, a continuous supply-conductor having exposed contacts at in tervals, and a bare conductorcomposed of insulated sections normally out of circuit with the supply-conductor, but adapted to be brought into temporary electrical connection therewith, in combination with a conductor attached to the car traveling in engagement with said contacts and bringing into electrical connection therewith the bare conductor sections contiguous to the car, the said conductor being of a length greater than the distance between the exposed contacts.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of an underground supply-conductor having exposed contacts atintervals, and a bare conductor consisting of independent insulated sections normally out of circuit with the supply-conductor and permanently fixed in position at or adjacent to the street-surface, in combination with the contact device attached to the car and traveling in electrical connection both with the said contacts and barc-conductor sections.

3. The combination, in an electric railway, of an insulated supply-conductor and vertically-yielding spring-pressed contacts placed at intervals below the street-surface and normally in circuit with the supply-conductor, with the contact device passing down through an opening in the street and engaging the upper side of the said contacts.

4. The combination, with an insulated supply-conductor and grooved contacts at intervals connected thereto, of a contact-conductor attached to the car and engaging the said contacts.

5. The combination of an underground insulated supply-conductor, contact-arms at intervals connected thereto and provided with grooved rollers, and a contact-conductor attached to the carand traveling in engagement with said rollers.

6. The combination, with a shallow channel open at the street-surface and enlarged connection-boxes at intervals in line therewith, of an insulated supply-conductor having exposed contactsin said connection-boxes in the path of travel of the contact device.

7. The combination of a shallow channel laid in a bed of insulated material substantially flush with the street-surface, and provided with enlarged connection-boxes at intervals, with an insulated supply-conductor and exposed contacts in said connection-boxes in the path of travel of the contact device.

8. The combination of an insulated supplyeonductor havingaseries of exposed contacts at intervals with a corresponding series of sub-surface insulated connection-boxes in which the said contacts are located.

9. The combination of a supply-conductor and a subsurface channel or conduit composed of independent insulated metallic sections along which the contact device travels in electrical connection with the supply-conductor.

10. The combination of a permanent insulated supply-conductor with a series of replaceable exposed contacts attached to the supply-conductor at intervals apart.

11. The combination of the exposed contacts placed at intervals along thelineof way and each connected to a supply-conductor with a traveling rope or similar flexible contact-conductor attached to the car and greater in length than the distance between the exposed contacts.

E I) \VARD M. BENTLEY.

Witnesses:

JAMES THOMPSON, TILLIAM II. CLARKsoN. 

